# Alzheimer's disease in patients prescribed statins: A real-world data analysis of U.S. patient health records

## TL;DR

This study finds that statin use is linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease in a large U.S. patient dataset.

## Contribution

The study provides real-world evidence of statin use reducing Alzheimer's risk with detailed stratification by statin type and dosage.

## Key findings

- Statin exposure was associated with a 31% lower risk of incident Alzheimer's disease.
- Both lipophilic and hydrophilic statins showed reduced AD risk, with hydrophilic statins showing slightly greater protection.
- High-dose and low/medium-dose statins conferred similar risk reductions without significant dose-dependent differences.

## Abstract

Evidence from observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remains discordant on the impact of statin therapy on long-term outcomes related to Alzheimer's disease. Observational studies find relatively large effect sizes; RCTs fail to demonstrate cognitive benefits. Methodological limitations in both approaches may explain the disconnect.

To bridge the gap between observational and RCT studies, this study uses Real World Data (RWD) to evaluate the association between statin use and incident AD risk, and contributes additional detailed stratification by statin type and dosage.

This observational analysis of EHR data from over 125 million U.S. patients through the TriNetX platform compared statin exposure in adults over 45 years old with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia, and no prior AD diagnosis, controlling for demographics, a range of known comorbidities, laboratory values, and medications. Primary outcomes were incident AD, other degenerative neurological diseases, and all-cause mortality. Sub-analyses compared risks by statin type and dosage.

Statin exposure was associated with a substantially lower risk of incident AD compared with non-exposure (RR = 0.69), similar to meta analyses of observational studies. Lipophilic and hydrophilic statins showed reduced AD risk compared to controls; hydrophilic statins showed a slightly greater protective effect. High-dose and low/medium-dose statins conferred similar risk reductions with no significant dose-dependent difference.

Our findings provide evidence that statin therapy is associated with reduced risk of AD and related outcomes, extending prior observational data with broader population representation and rigorous confounder control. Pending further evidence, statins may be considered as part of comprehensive strategies to reduce AD risk.